The American rapper's pro-same-sex marriage anthem created
almost as many headlines as the game itself as Melbourne eased to
an easy win over the Cowboys.

With the same sex marriage postal vote well underway at the
time, there was plenty of tension surrounding his set.

A little over a month following his performance, Macklemore said
he had fears for his safety ahead of his pre-match performance.

"I was honestly a little bit scared to perform when I was flying
over,” he told the New York Post.

“I was checking to see what our security was like.

“Some people were saying, ‘He’s trying to push the gay agenda,’
or, ‘You’ll turn gay if you listen to Macklemore'.

“It’s a macho, gladiator sport, like football is in America.

“You’re gonna piss people off, but all these moments add up to
an understanding and, hopefully, change.”

The NRL was hoping that Macklemore could've provided a step up
from the 2016 showing after Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora was
met with wide criticism for his rendition of ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’
in 2016.